Article: 10 things that make employees miserable at work

10 things that make employees miserable at work

Satisfied workers are less likely to exit the company which boosts retention and saves cost and time expended in recruiting and training new candidates hired as replacements.

A Gallup poll, recently found that 77 percent of workers hate their jobs which costs employers by more than $350 billion dollars annually due to lost productivity. As most employees spend a minimum of 35 hours per week at work, happiness within the workplace becomes intrinsic. Gallup, in its study found that nearly 70 percent of employees are not engaged while Tiny HR found that 79 percent of employees do not feel strongly valued in their jobs. Ensuring that people are happy at their job is about more than just making them feel good. When workers are satisfied, they’re more productive, which means they contribute diligently towards the organization. On top of that, satisfied workers are less likely to exit the company which boosts retention and saves cost and time expended in recruiting and training new candidates hired as replacements. But to keep employees satisfied and engaged, the first step is to know what makes them miserable at the workplace. So, here are ten things that contribute to making an employee feel the blues at the job:

Unsupportive work environment

You come up with ideas to improve the work environment or streamline processes, but your suggestions are never implemented. Worse, you don’t even get any response for your contributions or any acknowledgement for the ideas. Working at a place that fails to respond to valuable suggestions is worst of a kind. Any environment that doesn’t value or appreciate your contribution is toxic to your self-confidence and esteem which will ultimately make you dissatisfied with the organization.

Bad co-workers

Do your coworkers indulge in unjustifiable complaining for the whole day and spread negativity around? Being around people who are always finding fault with the company, the management, the customers, their co-workers, just adds to your sorrows at office. Legitimate concerns that are based on genuine issues is fine but if you wallow in misery and unhappiness, and listen to unhappy, difficult people, it cannot help but bring you down. Unhappiness and criticism are contagious so make sure to stay clear of people who play the blame game all the time.

Lack of work-life balance

Sometimes, you may get the sinking feeling that work is taking over your life. You get into work early, you leave late and soon it becomes a habit which disrupts your work-life balance. People who are not able to balance their home life and working environment can have a huge impact on their happiness at work. So, ensure that you do not overwork and sacrifice your “me time” due to job pressures.

A bad boss

Bad bosses can have a severe impact on your professional life. As per career site Glassdoor.com, one in five employees have experienced their careers hurt by a boss. The boss provides guidance and feedback, does one-to-one meetings, and connects the employee to the larger organization. So, having a toxic relationship with the person you report to can have a major impact on your engagement, confidence, and commitment. So in case you are suffering under a bad boss, it’s better to reach out to super bosses or people in authority to discuss the issues you are facing under him.

Lack of recognition

One of the most frustrating aspects of any job is not getting recognized for any good work done. Blame it on a lack of correspondence with your manager or not being rewarded for extra responsibilities not originally relayed to you, lack of recognition is a big reason for feeling unhappy at work. If this is the reason you feel you want to leave a role, schedule regular meetings with your manager to discuss your targets within your role. This practice will also enable you to highlight areas of your strength and also discuss about the scope for improvement.

Lack of remuneration

Far too often, employees feel dissatisfied with the level of pay they are receiving. Many feel uncomfortable broaching the subject with managers and therefore become unmotivated in their current role. If money is your primary grievance, the best course of action would be to discuss the prospect of a pay rise with your manager but be prepared to highlight the reasons for doing so.

No room for progression

Are you clear about next step in your career? Can you get the promotion next year?

If you feel that climbing the career ladder is a distant dream, this can be a huge reason to feel disgruntled. Very few people are motivated by the idea of self-improvement but if you feel that you do not have quantifiable goals to enable your progression, you should discuss this with your manager.

Right fit, wrong role

The most common situation occurs when individual may not be the “right fit” for a company or may be hired into the “wrong role”. Both the scenarios may lead them to feel a little distant from the business and/or colleagues. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to be aware of the culture within a firm until you join in the role. However, if this is an important factor for you, bring this to your recruiter’s attention who may have the knowledge of the working environment and will be able to guide your decision regarding the organization.

Financial Instability of the company

Leaving a good company that is experiencing temporary woes is definitely not a good step. But working for a company that is constantly operating near bankruptcy can wear out on the optimism and enthusiasm of a person and make him insecure about his future. This is especially true if the role of that employee doesn’t make a huge impact on the company's budgeting, spending, or financial performance. This makes an employee question about his place in the company.

Unfulfilling role

Day after day, year after year, you are numbing your mind and your heart with work that doesn't fulfill you. You go to work but find it unengaging and difficult to hold on to, then you should find out about other job opportunities. If you think that your job is unfulfilling then find ways to use your current skill set differently, and take tests and talk with the counselor to identify work you might find more exciting.

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